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Being a father is not just a role. It is a right. And in Ohio, that right does not protect itself.
Being a father is not just a role. It is a right. And in Ohio, that right does not protect itself. Whether you are a married father facing divorce, an unmarried father fighting to establish your place in your child’s life, or a dad whose parenting time is being unfairly restricted, you deserve an attorney who understands exactly what Ohio law gives you and exactly how to enforce it. At Panico Law Group, our fathers’ rights attorneys in Columbus and Delaware, Ohio have spent over 35 years standing beside fathers in some of the most difficult and high-stakes family law cases in central Ohio.
Ohio law treats mothers and fathers as equals when it comes to the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities under Ohio Revised Code §3109.04. No preference is given based on gender. However, the reality inside Ohio courtrooms is that fathers who show up unprepared, or without skilled legal representation, consistently walk away with less parenting time, less decision-making authority, and child support orders that do not fairly reflect their actual circumstances.
For married fathers, parental rights are presumed from the moment of birth. For unmarried fathers, the legal reality is far more challenging. Under Ohio law, an unmarried mother automatically receives sole custody of a child born outside of marriage. An unmarried father has no legally enforceable rights to custody, parenting time, or decision-making authority until he establishes paternity through a court order and obtains formal allocation of parental rights and responsibilities. Even paying child support does not automatically grant a father any right to see his child. Acting quickly and having the right legal strategy from the very beginning is everything.
Our attorneys aggressively pursue every right that Ohio law affords to fathers. We establish paternity through voluntary acknowledgment or genetic testing proceedings and move immediately to secure temporary parenting time orders so fathers are not shut out of their children’s lives while the case is pending. We build compelling shared parenting plans that demonstrate a father’s commitment to his child’s wellbeing and fight for meaningful, enforceable parenting time schedules in Franklin County and Delaware County courts. We challenge unfair child support calculations and ensure that support orders accurately reflect a father’s true income, financial obligations, and parenting time involvement. We combat parental alienation when a mother interferes with court-ordered parenting time, and we hold the other parent accountable through enforcement motions and contempt proceedings. We also represent fathers in custody modification cases when a substantial change of circumstances demands a new arrangement.
We have represented professional athletes, corporate executives, and everyday working fathers in some of the most complex and contentious fathers’ rights cases in Ohio. We understand the demands that professional careers place on parenting schedules, and we build legal strategies that protect both a father’s relationship with his children and his professional life.
Fathers throughout Columbus, Delaware, Westerville, Powell, Dublin, and all communities within Franklin County and Delaware County trust Panico Law Group because our commitment to protecting paternal rights is real, our preparation is thorough, and our courtroom record speaks for itself.
Your children need you. Call Panico Law Group today to schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced fathers’ rights attorney in Columbus or Delaware, Ohio.
